The aim of this project will be to identify the reasons for the apparent inconsistency in the time series patterns of aggregate household wealth obtained from some new innovative household surveys. The explanations that will be explored include differences in survey design and question structure across the surveys. In addition, the specifics of the portfolio of household wealth will be examined to ascertain if the underlying source of the aggregate wealth differences can be isolated. For example, the sub-components of household wealth structure will be investigated to assess whether the discrepancies among the surveys are concentrated in certain parts of the wealth portfolio. Similarly, the structure of household wealth across different types of households will be examined to determine if the aggregate disparities largely arise within some well-defined sub-populations (high income, older households or more educated respondents). This research will use data on wealth accumulation from waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), and the Asset and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old (AHEAD). Combined these surveys have significantly enhanced our ability to investigate patterns of household wealth accumulation. The recent availability and quality of such data offer now spanning more than a decade offer an important opportunity to resolve this puzzle.